Re: SPACE: Is ISS a boondoggle?, was Re: SPACE: Why so much EVA onISS? (fwd)

From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@aeiveos.com)
Date: Wed Mar 21 2001 - 09:18:52 MST


On 21 Mar 2001, Anders Sandberg wrote:

> One thing that might be used in the Orpheus mission is not to load the
> craft with enough fuel to make an emergency return to Earth from the
> asteroid - it has to extract enough water if the crew wants to do that.

Anders, you have to be careful with this approach. If the asteroid has
a moderately high density there isn't going to be enough water there
to make a cup of coffee. If you want water you are going to have to
get comets, preferably before they have evaporated all the lighter
materials. Its going to be an interesting end-game -- if you want
construction materials you go to the asteroids, but if you want standard
rocket fuel you go to the comets.

Robert



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